“We see this as a natural extension of the Playboy brand,” says Playboy Enterprises’ chairman and chief executive, Christie Hefner. “We have worked with Zinio over the last six months, offering subscription and single copies of our special editions, and the response has been extremely positive. By launching Playboy Digital, we are offering consumers worldwide a digitized product identical in every way with Playboy's print edition.”

Playboy plans to use the vehicle to increase online marketing opportunities for advertisers by offering ad-sponsored links. The company also sees the venture as a more cost-effective way to deliver the magazine’s content. The digital edition also will be used to cross-promote and bundle with the Playboy Cyber Club.

Readers will be able to buy subscriptions or single copies of the downloadable magazine through PlayboyDigital.com or Zinio’s site. An annual digital subscription will cost $19.97, while single copies will cost $4.95—the same amount as the print version.

The digital edition will premiere Sept. 13, the same date the print edition is available on newsstands. The issue includes the “Girls of the Pac 10,” a video game feature and a pictorial of video game femme fatales, as well as “The Playboy Interview with George Carlin.”

Zinio has more than 2 million subscribers worldwide and offers a range of digital magazines from Business Week to The Sporting News.